My department heads keep requesting budget for what they call machine learning projects, but I am worried about spending money on tech trends. How should I instruct my leadership team to pitch these technology requests so they focus on business outcomes instead of tech buzzwords?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Establish a strict rule for your leadership team: never sell AI to the business. Instruct your department heads to pitch operational improvements that machine learning will enable, mentioning the technology only as a footnote. Refrain from calling these initiatives machine learning projects. Instead, frame them exclusively as operations-improvement projects. When a manager wants budget for a new tool, they must present it using business metrics that align with your V/TO and your weekly Scorecard. They need to answer three simple questions. First, which specific documented process from our Process Component will this tool improve? Second, how many hours of low-value administrative work will this save our team each week? Third, how will we repurpose that newly created capacity to drive actual bottom-line revenue or increase our operating margins? By shifting the conversation from technology features to operational efficiency, you cut through the software theater. This forces your leadership team to evaluate software based on real-world return on investment, ensuring that every dollar spent directly prepares your business for a cleaner, more valuable exit.